After arriving at the Plovdiv Airport (since the Sofia Airport was closed because of fog) from a three-day visit to Lebanon on Wednesday night, Borisov gave a news conference at the VIP terminal of the Sofia Airport commenting on Tuesday's letter to the EC in which the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany described Bulgaria and Romania's potential Schengen accession in 2011 as premature.
Unlike Romanian President Basescu, who called the letter "discriminatory", the Bulgarian Prime Minister described the French and German criticism of Bulgaria and Romania as "fully justified."
He explicitly pointed that unlike Romania's negative reaction, Bulgaria will use the time before the next EC monitoring report under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the summer to work on its problem areas. Borisov believes that the adoption of the recommended legislative amendments is crucial to achieve progress.
"There is hardly any Bulgaria who doubts we have corruption and a not so good judicial system. We react in a way that is different from the reaction of our esteemed Romanian neighbors. We have several months left. We have the opportunity to fix all points of criticism with respect to the control of the external borders. We will be 100% ready there by March 2011," the PM said.
The decision on Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen entry will be made by the countries that are members of the Schengen Area with unanimity based on an experts' report expected in January 2011.
Earlier on Wednesday, the European Commission confirmed its position against tying Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen zone entry with additional clauses and with the post-accession progress monitoring mechanism known as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.
Speaking to reporters at Plovdiv Airport as soon as the Bulgarian delegation landed from Lebanon, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov stated that Bulgaria will be "technically" ready to join the Schengen Area by March 2011.
"We need to keep in mind that the general situation in Bulgaria, the unresolved problems in the judiciary, the legacy on the issues of corruption and organized crime all reflect upon the Schengen accession process. We just have to resolve this by March, there is no need to try to escape from the truth. As a normal, civilized nation, let all of us work to cut the cord between those who are connected with organized crime and corruption in Bulgaria and those who make Bulgaria's image abroad. We need to get our job done to join Schengen. I am convinced that we will become part of the Schengen Agreement by the end of 2011. The rest is in the hands of the legislative branch and the judiciary," Bulgaria's top diplomat stated.
Wednesday morning Bulgaria's Interior Minister and Deputy PM Tsvetanov made it clear it will aim to accede to the Schengen zone in March 2011 even though France and Germany decided to block the country from joining the Europe's passport-free travel zone.
"What I read in the newspapers today will in no way change our planned preparations for making the country fit for the Schengen zone in March 2011," Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov commented.
A day earlier the French and German interior ministers said it was "premature" to let them join Schengen in March 2011. In a letter to European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem they said Bulgaria and Romania needed to make "irreversible progress" in the fight against corruption and organized crime.
"The letter shows that Bulgaria's Schengen accession has been tied up with the European Commission's continued monitoring of its justice reform and corruption combat and its record so far. What these countries want to see is determination in corruption and organized crime combat," the Tsvetanov added.
He pointed out that the interim report of the European Commission on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM; e.g. progress in fighting crime and corruption) will be crucial for Bulgaria's Schengen bid.
Bulgaria's center-right government has assigned top priority to the country' accession to the Schengen zone in March 2011, a target date, which has been set as early as in 2007, during the term of the previous Socialist-led government.
But its preparedness has yet to get the EU greenlight and is facing strong opposition from older member states, who say entry next year will be premature.
Experts from EU states who visited Romania and Bulgaria are due to present a report in January that will be used by governments to make a decision on Romanian and Bulgarian membership, but it must be agreed by the Schengen members in unanimity
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